1. Field of the Invention
An object of the invention is a modular method and device for tracing a multimedia message through a telecommunications network. The field of the invention is that of telecommunications and more specifically that of communications via messages having a multimedia content. Such messages are also called multimedia messages or MMS messages.
It is an aim of the invention to be able to determine the performance of a system for the exchange of multimedia messages.
It is another aim of the invention to be able to have measurement/simulation tools available during the phases of developing a system for the exchange of multimedia messages.
It is another aim of the invention to be able to make measurements on a system for exchanges of multimedia messages, this system being in the operating phase.
It is another aim of the invention to determine a time limit for the routing of a multimedia message.
It is another aim of the invention to detect the deterioration undergone by a multimedia message while it is being routed.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
In the prior art, there are known methods and devices to carry out load simulations on HTTP (Hyper Text transfer Protocol) servers. Such methods implement programs called robots that interrogate an HTTP server by sending requests on the server. This is a customer-server process in which only the robot/client and the server are involved. It is therefore possible in this way to know whether the interaction between the server and the robot is taking place properly, but no information is obtained on the other communications implemented during exchanges of MMS-type multimedia messages. In particular, no information is obtained on the time limits for the transmission of a multimedia message. Such a time limit is measured from the date when such a message is sent by a customer to the date of its reception by the recipient. Similarly, with an approach of this kind, it is impossible to determine which types of multimedia messages are lost, since the type of message varies with the nature and quantity of the data that it contains. With an approach of this kind, it is still impossible to know whether a multimedia message sent has been properly received, namely whether the received message is identical to the sent message. Finally, the prior art solutions envisage only HTTP protocol communications whereas, in fact, there are many protocols by which a multimedia message can be transmitted.
The invention resolves these problems by implementing a method and modular device, each module having a specified role. Thus, a generation module produces and sends variable type multimedia messages on a telecommunications network in using a variety of communications protocols including HTTP, WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), to mention only the most common protocols. A generation module of this kind is incapable of simulating the functioning of large number of customers. It is indeed possible to send out the multimedia message from an office computer, a pocket computer, a personal digital assistant and a mobile telephone to mention only the most common types of customers. The message produced comprises at least one body and a subject field. The generation module enters information into the subject field as a function of the type of multimedia message produced. Thus the subject field comprises a multimedia message identifier, a date for the production and sending of the multimedia message, an instruction code for a retrieval module, and/or a checksum of the multimedia message. The generation module also sends information to an analysis module on the multimedia messages that it produces and sends.
These multimedia messages that are produced and sent travel through the telecommunications network and are received and processed normally by a multimedia message relay server. The processing consists of a storage of the message and of the sending of a notification message to the recipient of the multimedia message received and stored. This notification message comprises at least the subject field of said multimedia message.
This notification message is intercepted by an interception module that either allows it to continue its route toward its recipient if it is not a message produced by the generation module or else sends it to a multimedia message retrieval module.
The retrieval module then has knowledge of information enabling it to interrogate the relay server to retrieve the multimedia messages produced and sent out by the generation module. This retrieval makes it possible to obtain information, especially on the integrity of the retrieved multimedia messages and on the transmission times. The information thus obtained is then transmitted to an analysis module already possessing information on the messages sent. The correlation between the information on the messages sent and the information on the messages retrieved therefore makes it possible to obtain statistics modeling the behavior of the telecommunications network in its function of routing multimedia messages.
Thus, this method/device can be used either during the integration of an MMS service to carry out load and endurance tests or in production to measure the real availability of the system. A load test consists in determining the behavior of the server when it subjected to heavy demand in a short period of time. An endurance test consists in determining the behavior of the server over a lengthy period of time. It is possible of course to combine load and endurance tests to determine the behavior of a server subjected to heavy demand over a lengthy period of time.